This is an exploratory study on the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act No 116 of 1998 in South Africa. It is a case study of two townships in the Nkonkobe Municipality District, Eastern Cape Province. The study was conducted at Ntselamanzi and Upper Qhumashe townships in Nkonkobe Municipality District, Eastern Cape. Since this is a qualitative exploratory study, in-depth interviews were conducted on a sample of ten women in abusive relationships and focus group interviews were conducted on five service providers for a triangulation. A study of related literature focused on African women in battered relationships. An African women’s perspective on the experiences of abuse have been explored. Gender based radical feminist views were discussed and legislations and conventions were analyzed from a human rights perspective. The implementation of the Domestic Violence Act and the role of service providers were also looked into. The findings suggest that African women experience abuse in partner relationships. They sustain grievous bodily harm, psychological, emotional and financial abuse. The patriarchy system, alcohol abuse, infidelity, traditional practices and failure to maintain children have been cited as some of the reasons. The social networks and service providers assisted these women to some extent. However, there is need for ethnic sensitive interdisciplinary training approach on African communities on the Act and a legal system that is accessible to rural women in order to curb further abuse. Various recommendations have been put forward. The study indicated a need for ethnic sensitive empowerment programs for the abused, rehabilitative programs that take into cognizance human rights violations of these women and the abusers, and effective legal remedies to prohibit women abuse.

Abstract Cold is a very common physical risk factor in workplaces in circumpolar regions. Cold has many detrimental effects on human health and performance, and on the safety, quality and productivity of work. In this study a systematic general Cold Risk Management Model was developed, applied and evaluated. The model can be integrated in a company’s or an organization’s occupational safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) management systems and practices in workplaces. The Cold Risk Management Model and methods were later included in ISO 15743 Ergonomics of the thermal environment – Cold workplaces – Risk assessment and management. The Cold Risk Management Model and methods were applied in two case company’s SHEQ systems and practices in the fields of construction and maritime administration and services. Based on the case studies, the concrete cold risk management activities and the personnel training campaign resulted in immediate positive results and improved attitudes towards further development. At the national level, working in the cold was estimated to increase personnel costs in the construction industry annually by €50M, which is 3% of the industry’s annual personnel costs. This study also showed that the Cold Risk Management Model and methods are profitable. In the case construction company, the savings achieved by cold risk management activities at a construction site were 2.5 time the costs of those activities. A follow-up study in the case company in the field of maritime administration and services showed that implementation and dissemination of the Cold Risk Management Model and methods require systematic work also after the initial development process. The implementation process could and should be enhanced by early establishment of organization-wide guidelines, visible concrete actions, a training campaign and use of necessary external experts. This study also presents a Safety Management Matrix Model for analyzing development and implementation activities during the process time span. / Tiivistelmä Kylmä on yksi yleisimmistä työympäristön riskitekijöistä pohjoisissa oloissamme. Kylmästä aiheutuu haittaa ihmisen toimintakyvylle ja terveydelle sekä työn turvallisuudelle, laadulle ja tuottavuudelle. Tässä väitöstutkimuksessa kehitettiin systemaattinen kylmäriskien hallintamalli osaksi yrityksen työterveys- ja työturvallisuus-, ympäristö- ja laatujohtamisjärjestelmiä (SHEQ). Kehitetty kylmäriskien hallintamalli menetelmineen on nykyisin osa standardia ”SFS-EN ISO 15743 Lämpöolojen ergonomia. Kylmät työpaikat. riskin arviointi ja hallinta”. Kylmäriskien hallintamallia ja sen menetelmiä sovellettiin ja edelleen kehitettiin kahdessa tapausyrityksessä rakennusalalla sekä merenkulun tukipalveluissa. Konkreettisista kehittämistoimenpiteistä ja henkilöstön koulutuksesta koettiin tapausyrityksissä saadun välitöntä hyötyä, ja ne johtivat positiivisiin asenteisiin jatkokehittämistyötä kohtaan. Tutkimuksessa arvioitiin kylmätyön myös lisäävän rakennusalan henkilöstökustannuksia vuosittain 50 miljoonalla eurolla, mikä oli 3 % alan vuotuisista palkkakustannuksista. Tapaustutkimuksen avulla osoitettiin, että kylmänhaittojen hallinta on kannattavaa. 20 henkilön rakennustyömaalla kylmänhaittojen hallinnalla saavutettavat säästöt olivat 2,5-kertaiset toimenpiteistä aiheutuneisiin kuluihin verrattuina. Merenkulun tukipalvelujen alalla toimivassa tapausyrityksessä tehdyn seurantatutkimuksen mukaan kylmäriskien hallintamallin käyttöönotto ja levittäminen yrityksessä vaatii kuitenkin aikaa ja systemaattista työtä. Mallin käyttöönottoa ja levittämistä voidaan tutkimuksen perusteella nopeuttaa kehittämistyön näkyvyydellä ja konkreettisuudella, koulutuksella, organisaatiotasoisten ohjeiden laatimisella aikaisessa vaiheessa sekä erityisesti asiantuntijatuen saatavuudella koko implementointivaiheen ajan. Tutkimuksessa syntyi myös turvallisuusjohtamismatriisi työkaluksi kehittämistyön suunnitteluun ja arviointiin.

Lo studio si inserisce nel dibattito sul potere delle multinazionali e il rispetto dei diritti umani fondamentali e approfondisce i concetti di responsabilità sociale delle imprese (CSR) e della loro "accountability", inquadrando l'analisi nel contesto più ampio degli investimenti esteri diretti (FDI), con i relativi aspetti economici, tecnologici e sociali, nonché ambientali e politici. Si analizzano le norme internazionali in tema di rispetto dei diritti umani da parte delle aziende, ed i meccanismi legali per rendere le società "accountable", soprattutto in caso di complicità aziendali negli abusi perpetrati dagli Stati, anche attraverso la giurisprudenza dei tribunali penali internazionali e dei tribunali statunitensi. Viene data attenzione al settore della sicurezza, i.e. "Private Military and Security Companies" (PMSCs, interessato da notevole crescita negli ultimi decenni. Le PMSCs, impiegate da parte dei governi che esternalizzano una funzione tipicamente dello stato e da imprese e ONG attive in contesti difficili, hanno operato senza adeguato controllo. Le loro attività sollevano questioni su potenziali abusi dei diritti umani commessi dai propri dipendenti oltre che su violazioni dei diritti del lavoro subite dagli stessi. Le azioni ONU per portare le PMSCs fuori dalla 'zona legale grigia' in cui hanno operato vengono trattate insieme alle iniziative di autoregolamentazione. / The study, given the debate about the increasing power of corporations and the attempts to ensure their respect of fundamental human rights, deepens the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate accountability, framing the analysis within the broader discourse of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with its economic, technological and social aspects as well as environmental and political issues. International standards in the area of corporations’ human rights obligations are analyzed in addition to legal mechanisms to hold corporations accountable, particularly for corporate complicity in human rights abuses by States, through the jurisprudence of international criminal tribunals and U.S. Courts. Special attention is given to the security sector, i.e. Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), interested in the last decades by a steady growth. PMSCs, increasingly contracted by governments willing to outsource a typical state function and by companies and NGOs active in difficult contexts, have been operating without proper supervision and accountability. PMSCs activities raise issues concerning potential human rights violations committed by their employees and labour rights abuses their employees might suffer themselves. UN actions aimed at bringing PMSCs out of the legal ‘grey zone’ where they have been operating are tackled alongside with self-regulatory initiatives.

In terms of Section 29 (1) of the Constitution, everyone has the right to basic education. This right is not subject to ‘reasonable legislative and other measures, available resources and progressive realisation.’ The right to basic, compulsory education is widely regarded as a fundamental human right. For example, this right is included in a number of international human rights treaties such as the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’, the ‘International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,’ the ‘African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child’, the ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’, the ‘Dakar Framework for Action: Education for All’, and ‘UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education’. The South African Constitution, however, does not clarify the content and scope of the right to basic education. Consequently, the Constitution has given the state wide discretion to determine the scope, nature and content of this basic right. Apartheid left the South African education system fragmented and unequal. The South African educational system has gone through numerous curricula and institutional changes. The changes in the curriculum were part of the transformation process of the South African education system. In addition, the state has allocated substantial public funds towards basic education. However, the investment in basic education does not commensurate with the quality of teaching and learning in poor and marginalised schools. For example, several rural and farm schools in the Eastern Cape lacked toilet facilities; textbooks and other education support material; furniture; and other essential necessities. Education loses its transformative power when poor and marginalised schools continue to lack these essential services. Consequently, inequality is perpetuated and the poor and marginalised are unable to compete meaningfully in the social, economic and political life of South Africa. The mini dissertation concludes by recommending that the Department of Basic Education should ensure that all schools, especially those in rural communities and farms, have access to textbooks, qualified teachers, clean water and toilet facilities and other essential necessities needed for the delivery of quality basic education.

In South Africa, it is evident that women are uniformed of their essential human rights, especially their inheritance and succession rights, including protection of such rights. Human rights are international norms that protect individuals everywhere from the states’ political, legal and social abuse. Human rights are entitlements which human beings have in order to enhance their human condition. They are the fundamental entitlements or minimum standards to be met for individual so that they live with dignity. This study focused on discrimination of women under customary law in South Africa with reference to inheritance and succession. The study validated the findings of other researchers on the impact of cultural practices on women’s rights to inheritance and succession. In addition the findings revealed that efforts t eliminate traditional practices, should foremost come from men and from communities that hold such destructive attitudes towards women. The outcomes and recommendations of this study would assist the government and other institutions to adopt effective measures to empower women and especially educate them so that they can assert and defend their human rights

In all the Black communities, women’s rights have always been taken for granted. Women have always been subordinate to the patriarchal system. The denial of domestic violence against rural women has its origin in the age long patriarchal society, deeply rooted in culture and tradition. The main aim of the patriarchal society is the control of women by men. The idea of protecting women abuse is not really new. It is a necessary component of long established and internationally recognized human rights. This includes the right to equality and freedom, liberty and personal security. The recognition could be traced to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 (UDHR). However, women’s rights remain unrealized and are continuously violated despite the fact that these rights are well expressed in many international documents and national laws. The study examined the factors that conduce towards domestic violence against rural women in the Kwa Zulu Natal Province of South Africa. In this regard, the reasons why they support culture and traditional practices that are detrimental to their health were also explored. The small isolated area of Umzimkhulu was used. In-depth face to face interviews were employed to elicit information from the respondents and brief notes were written down to collect the data. The findings revealed that women are not aware of their human rights. This ignorance and negative attitude is influenced by the dependency of women to men, supremacy of the patriarchal system and the dominance of culture. Most disturbing is that these women don’t seem to see anything wrong with the situation. It is evidently clear therefore that women empowerment, through education, will not only affect women’s autonomy but will also increase their worth and make them understand the impact of traditional practices that they support. All these will have implications for policy and legislative interventions.

Globalisation has resulted in the increase of migrant workers who cross borders in search of better opportunities and greener pastures. Migrant workers, wherever they decide to relocate, are at the risk of arbitrary arrests and illegal deportations which infringe their right to liberty and security. Many unreported cases show that migrant workers in South Africa have to endure inhuman treatment every day, through the implementation of deportation laws by law enforcement agencies. This is however, done in a manner which disregards their possession of necessary documentation authorising them to be in the country. The Constitution of South Africa, legislation and other related policies provide for the protection of the right to liberty and security of migrant workers. It is against the above that this mini dissertation examines and analyses how the implementation of deportation laws impacts on the right to liberty and security of migrant workers. This mini dissertation points out that there is a dire need to ensure that the implementation of deportation laws complies with the requirements of the right to security and liberty of persons accorded to the status of migrant workers by the Constitution and other related legislation or policies. The methodology made use of in this research is qualitative. This research used legislative texts, case law, journal articles and other academic commentary to acquire information on the right of migrant workers and their plight in South Africa. The study also makes recommendations for appropriate domestic law reform in respect to how deportation laws can be implemented in a bid to protect the right to liberty and security of migrant workers. These recommendations are designed to ensure that law enforcement agencies adhere to the law and procedure which protect migrant workers from arbitrary arrests, and illegal deportations.

In this study the focus is on the implementation of the Children’s Act in mainstream schools. The Children’s Act mandates that all children who are in need of care both in school and out of school should be taken care of and be protected. However, they are often not afforded the full opportunity to enjoy the benefits of this Act. This is due to various factors that hinder the process of its implementation in mainstream schools. The main emphasis of this study is on the factors that hinder the implementation of the Children’s Act. The aim of the Children’s Act is to look after and provide services and support to children in need of care and protection. In order to provide such services and support to children, one needs to first identify such learners in need of care and their needs. Having done this, the support needed can be assessed and provided. This process is not easily achieved in mainstream schools. This study seeks to determine the factors that discourage the implementation process of the Children’s Act in mainstream schools. Data collection for this study included face to face interviews with teachers who are principals of schools and Life Orientation teachers, a social workers and school nurse. The data was used to analyze and interpret the challenges that hinder the implementation of the Children’s Act in mainstream schools. Among others, the study found that there is a lack of collaboration among stakeholders and coordination of service delivery. Poor parental involvement and commitment to parent involvement programmes was also evident. However, to a limited degree, there is interaction between the schools and relevant government departments. The study recommends that multidisciplinary teams should be formed whereby scarce resources can be shared. Various professionals should have the opportunity to come together toshare ideas and information. In order to encourage identification of learners in need of care, it is recommended that, the peer groups or peer educators be established and awareness campaign be conducted in schools. The study also recommends that developmental assessment programmes be conducted. Developmental assessment programmes will help gather information directly from learners or from an appropriate adult in the child’s life. They provide frameworks which can be used as guides for eliciting and analysing information.

Abstract The etiology of musculoskeletal disorders remains largely unclear, pain being the predominant complaint. The prevalence of neck pain (NP), shoulder pain (SP), and low back pain (LBP) increases drastically during adolescence. Potentially modifiable risk factors of NP, SP, and LBP should be identified at that age. First, this study evaluated the prevalence of NP, SP, LBP and peripheral pains (upper or lower extremities) and the prevalence of multiple pains. Second, the study determined the role of a set of potentially modifiable risk factors for adolescents’ NP, SP, and LBP (physical activity, inactivity, sedentary activities in cross-sectional study design and quantity and quality of sleep in follow-up study design). The study population belongs to the 1986 Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC 1986), consisting of 9,479 children with an expected date of birth between July 1, 1985 and June 30, 1986 in the two northernmost provinces of Finland, Oulu and Lapland. NP, SP, and LBP were common at the ages 16 and 18, while medical consultations for these pains were less frequent. The prevalence of pain increased with age. Peripheral pains were rare. Surprisingly many adolescents reported multiple musculoskeletal pains. Girls were more likely to report pain than boys. Both low and high level of physical activity, some risk sport activities, high amount of sedentary activities, and insufficient quantity and quality of sleep increased the risk of NP, SP, and LBP in adolescence. It may be possible to reduce the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain by having a positive impact on potentially modifiable risk factors, such as physical activity, sedentary activities and sleep hygiene. Therefore, intervention studies focusing on these factors are needed in the future. / Tiivistelmä Useimmiten tuki- ja liikuntaelinsairauksien tarkka syy jää epäselväksi ja kipu on niiden pääasiallinen ilmentymä. Niska-, hartia- ja alaselkäkipujen esiintyvyys väestössä nousee merkittävästi teini-iässä. Tämän vuoksi niska-, hartia- ja alaselkäkivun riskitekijöitä tulisikin tutkia nuoruudessa, jotta niihin päästäisiin vaikuttamaan ajoissa. Tässä väitöskirjassa selvitettiin niska-, hartia-, alaselkä- ja laaja-alaisten tuki- ja liikuntaelinkipujen esiintyvyyttä nuorilla. Päätavoite oli kuitenkin tutkia liikunnan, eri urheilulajien, liikkumattomuuden, istumisen ja unen laadun ja määrän yhteyttä niska-, hartia- ja alaselkäkipujen esiintyvyyteen. Tutkimusaineisto muodostui Pohjois-Suomen syntymäkohortin 1986 nuorista, joiden laskettu syntymäaika oli 1.7.1985–30.6.1986. Nuorille lähetettiin 16-vuotiaana postikysely, joka sisälsi tuki- ja liikuntaelinoirekyselyn, kysymyksiä liikunnan, istumisen ja unen määrästä ja laadusta, sekä muista elämäntavoista. Kahden vuoden kuluttua, 18-vuotiaana lähetettiin toinen kysely joka sisälsi mm. tuki- ja liikuntaelinoirekyselyn. Tulokset osoittavat että niska-, hartia- ja alaselkäkivut olivat yleisiä nuoruudessa, joskin hoitoa vaativat kivut ja raajojen kipuoireilu olivat harvinaisia. Laaja-alaiset tuki- ja liikuntaelinkivut olivat odotettua yleisempiä. Tytöt oireilivat enemmän kuin pojat ja oireilu lisääntyi iän myötä. Hyvin aktiivinen liikunnan harrastaminen (6h/vko tai enemmän ripeää liikuntaa) ja erityisesti tietyt riskilajit olivat yhteydessä suurempaan niska-, hartia- ja alaselkäkipujen esiintyvyyteen. Samoin suuri istumisen määrä, riittämätön uni ja huono unen laatu lisäsivät kipujen todennäköisyyttä. Nuorten tuki- ja liikuntaelinkipuja voitaisiin mahdollisesti vähentää vaikuttamalla muunneltavissa oleviin riskitekijöihin, kuten vähentämällä istumista, lisäämällä terveysliikuntaa, sekä parantamalla unitottumuksia. Tämän takia jatkossa tarvitaan näihin riskitekijöihin kohdistuvia interventiotutkimuksia.

Proefschrift Rijksuniversiteit Limburg, Maastricht. / Met indices, lit. opg. - Met samenvatting in het Nederlands.